...And Metallica for all

by ERIK LEIJON

Few bands are truly worthy of having their own exclusive Guitar Hero/Rock Band based video game. The Beatles will be receiving the Rock Band treatment later this year, and Aerosmith nearly soured everyone on the experience in 2008 (how’s that for a terrible intro to the concept of a single band version of Guitar Hero?). But Metallica has the type of diverse catalogue, larger than life personalities and memorable guitar licks necessary to interest a vast number of guitar hero aficionados.

Guitar Hero: Metallica (Various/Activision, Neversoft) isn’t the most complete recapitulation of the Los Angeles-based thrash metal pioneers and their sordid 28-year history, although GH: M has the least amount of filler on any guitar peripheral-based title yet. It suggests that this method of spinning off the wildly successful Guitar Hero series actually has some merit besides raking in some extra bread.

For continuity’s sake, GH: M utilizes the same style of goofy animated cutscenes to progress the game’s storyline, as you and your real-life bandmates jump from portraying a stalker-esque cover band to playing as rendered doppelgangers of the real band (and no, you can’t play as Dave Mustaine, Jason Newsted or Cliff Burton). It would have been nice for the career mode to progress like an actual biography of the band, complete with more realistic-looking renders and actual concert venues where the band solidified their reputations as musical outlaws.

After shredding through 28 of their best-known tracks, you won’t find yourself more knowledgeable about the history of Metallica, or be anymore emotionally invested in the music. Good band biographies and even elaborate greatest hits CD packages do that, whereas GH: M seems to emphasize the quirkiness and challenge of the former and less on the musical significance of the latter.

Although Metallica’s guitar hero transformation aims low, the game does manage to ride the lightning as you attempt to perfect James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett’s balls-to-the-wall axe wielding. “Master of Puppets,” “Seek & Destroy” et al. will always be awesome cuts, and are tailor made for Guitar Hero. It’s a shame two players can only play as lead guitar and bass, because what’s the point of performing “One” without the interweaving work for both guitarists?

It would have been nice to follow the band chronologically from Kill ’em All to banging pots and pans on St. Anger (which nearly gets the silent treatment, although Death Magnetic is featured prominently). Thankfully, GH: M does a great deal to demonstrate the potential of single-band guitar video games. Drum Hero: Rush has a nice ring to it?

Diesel power

Surly and slurring superstar Vin Diesel seems like a simple man, so it’s no surprise that Wheelman (X360, PS3/Ubisoft, Midway) is an uncomplicated mix of Burnout and Grand Theft Auto. The second recent title to feature Diesel’s likeness (Chronicles of Riddick being the other), Wheelman finds the Fast and Furious star chauffeuring drug lords around Barcelona, being chased by cops and generally causing as much destruction as a sober man behind the wheel can.

The gameplay involves dodging some obstacles, smashing others and performing Dukes of Hazzard-style jumps, but the highlight is the over-the-top air-jacking—where the big man actually jumps from one moving vehicle onto another, diving through the side window and defenestrating the other driver.

Not unlike Diesel’s filmography to this point, the game is ridiculous and more about cool explosions and spilled blood than strategy, but as a racing game, Wheelman is actually quite fun and a brisk play. It’s when the game takes Diesel out of the car for some boring foot missions that the game loses focus.